WPBakery plugin and theme conflicts: how to find and fix them
This guide helps you identify WPBakery plugin and theme conflicts, test possible causes safely and find out why the editor or your pages aren’t working as expected.
A plugin or theme conflict can show up in different ways and here are some issues that we regularly see in WPBakery support tickets – provided by our Support team:
- The page builder editor gets stuck loading.
- The editor or some of its elements suddenly disappear.
- Changes made in the editor don’t save.
- A page looks broken after installing or updating another plugin.
- Row Layout not working as expected.
- Some WPBakery elements work normally while others stop responding.
- A page becomes blank.
If you’re seeing any of these, this checklist is for you. Start with the symptom you’re seeing, then test changes on a staging site so you don’t disrupt your live website.
Before you troubleshoot: protect the site
Check your backup. Make sure you have a recent backup and know how to restore it. Your hosting provider may include automatic backups. If you don’t have a recent one, create it before making changes. You can use a backup or migration plugin such as All-in-One WP Migration to create a copy of your site.
Use a staging site. A staging site lets you switch themes, deactivate plugins and test updates without affecting visitors. If your host doesn’t provide one, you can create a separate WordPress installation on a subdomain or sub-directory and migrate a copy of your site to it.
Before changing anything, note which page is affected, what action fails and when the problem started. Repeat that same action after each troubleshooting step. Otherwise, it’s difficult to tell whether a change fixed the issue.
Common issues and their possible causes
| Symptom | Check first | Investigate next |
| The WPBakery editor gets stuck loading | Recent updates and WPBakery version | Plugins, theme, WordPress Address and Site Address |
| The Backend Editor is missing | Role Manager and whether the editor was dragged to the sidebar | Plugins and theme |
| Changes don’t save | Failed AJAX requests and security or firewall blocks | Plugins, theme, PHP limits, custom elements |
| Changes save, but the page or preview looks wrong | Browser, page, server, and CDN caches | Optimization settings and frontend JavaScript or CSS |
| Row Layout or some elements don’t work | Whether the issue affects specific elements or pages | Theme, plugins, custom elements, CSS or JavaScript |
| The entire page is blank | PHP and server error logs | Theme or plugin conflict |
| The problem started after an update | What was updated immediately before it started | Regression or incompatibility in that version |
This table points you to a first check – it doesn’t confirm the cause. Use the steps below to test what’s actually responsible.
1. Check versions, settings and caches
First, check that WordPress, WPBakery, your theme and your plugins are running supported versions. If an update is available, check the changelog and, where possible, test the update. Also check your PHP version. You can view your site’s PHP version and other configuration details under Tools > Site Health > Info.
If the Backend Editor is missing, check WPBakery’s Role Manager and editor settings. Check whether the editor has been dragged to the sidebar before beginning a full plugin conflict test. If WPBakery is unavailable only for certain posts or custom post types, check the post types available to your user role.
If changes save but don’t appear correctly, clear the caches relevant to your site:
- Browser cache, or test in a private window
- WordPress or page cache
- Server cache, if applicable
- CDN cache, if applicable
Test the affected page again. If it still looks wrong, investigate any optimization plugin or setting that changes frontend JavaScript or CSS.
2. Test for a theme conflict
An active theme can interfere with the WPBakery editor, particularly if it bundles WPBakery or adds its own elements and functionality.
On your staging site:
- Keep WPBakery active and switch to a default WordPress theme, such as Twenty Twenty-Five.
- Test the same page and action where you experienced the problem.
- If the problem disappears, the original theme or one of its components may be causing it.
- If the problem remains, switch back to the original theme and continue with the plugin test.
3. Test for a plugin conflict
Again, using your staging site, perform the following steps:
- Deactivate all plugins except WPBakery and any plugins required for the site to function.
- Test the same page and action again.
- If the problem disappears, reactivate the deactivated plugins one at a time, testing after each activation.
- When the problem returns, the last plugin activated is a likely cause. Deactivate it and repeat the test to confirm.
If you have many plugins, reactivate them in small groups so, when the problem returns after activating a group, you can deactivate that group and test its plugins individually.
Once you’ve identified a conflicting plugin, check whether an update is available or contact its developer for help.
If the problem remains after the theme and plugin tests, continue with the error checks below. The tests haven’t identified a conflict with another active plugin or your original theme.
4. Check logs and browser errors
These checks can show why an editor fails to load, changes don’t save, or a page becomes blank:
- WordPress debug log: Shows PHP errors, including fatal errors, warnings, and notices. These may point to a specific plugin or theme. You can enable WordPress debugging by adding the appropriate settings to wp-config.php.
- Browser Console: Open Developer Tools in your browser and check the Console for JavaScript errors, uncaught errors, and jQuery errors.
- Network tab: Check Developer Tools > Network for failed requests, including 401, 403, 404, and 500 responses.
- Server logs: Check your hosting/server logs for PHP or server errors. Security tools, firewalls, and ModSecurity can also block requests required by WPBakery.
Note the error and the action that triggered it. That information will help you investigate the affected plugin, theme, or server setting.
5. If the problem started after an update
If the issue appeared immediately after updating WPBakery, WordPress, your theme, or another plugin:
- Identify what was updated immediately before the problem started.
- Check its changelog for known compatibility issues or fixes.
- Check whether a newer version is available that addresses the issue.
- If the problem persists, test the previous version on staging to see whether the update is responsible. You can contact WPBakery Support to request a previous version of WPBakery.
If you confirm a conflict, contact the plugin or theme developer with the versions involved and the steps that reproduce the problem.
6. Check for overlapping functionality
Having two page builders installed does not automatically mean they conflict so make sure to check whether both are trying to control the same content, editor, or functionality.
Other areas to investigate include page builder add-ons, popup builders, security plugins and plugins or themes that modify WPBakery. Test the relevant component using the plugin or theme steps above rather than assuming that its presence is the cause.
When to contact WPBakery Support
If you can’t resolve the issue, create a support ticket through the WPBakery Customer Center. Include:
- Exact steps to reproduce the problem
- WordPress, WPBakery, theme, and relevant plugin versions
- Screenshots or a screen recording
- Relevant Console, Network, debug-log, or server errors
- Which plugins and themes you tested, and what happened during each test
These details show support what has already been ruled out and where the problem occurs.
Keep this article bookmarked so you always have a help in hand when needed and let us know in our Community what topics you’d like to read about next.
